It's My 5th Year Blogging Anniversary!


First off, I want to thank all my followers and readers for helping me get to here on Blogland.  I so am so grateful for your advice, prayers when needed, help and encouragement you've provided over the years to help me grow in one of the things I love most - quilting!  As I scrolled through the 910 posts I've published, I reminisced on what I've been up to in that time.  Here are some favorites:
2009  Em's Quilt   


2010 My Bullseye Quilt


2011 My first designed pattern


2012 2nd one I designed and made


2013 Begun my Love Entwined Adventure

Again thank you for all your encouragement and sharing you have done over the years. So to celebrate, let's have a giveaway!  Since it's for five years, let's have five winners.  This is open to all worldwide. To be eligible, please be sure that I can reach you by having your email available to me.  That includes those on blogger. The last two giveaways, I've had to really work to find an email for my winners.  This time, sorry, if I can't find it easily, I'm just going to pick a new winner.  So, to enter 1. leave me a comment telling me which part of the quilting process you enjoy most - from cutting to binding and all the steps in between - and which of the prizes you are most interested in winning.  Another chance is 2.  follow me and then tell me how you are doing so or are already a follower. AND 3.  link to my Hexie Weekend post (It's the previous one) any eye candy you'd like to share. HW is every Friday. I'll add your link to the comments list considered for the giveaways.   Lastly, for those who write a post about this giveaway and include my link, I have a giveaway just for you ( a $25 gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop).  You're welcome to use any photo on my blog for this post. Once you've made it and placed the link to this post in it, come back here and leave a comment telling me so. I'll go read your post and put your comment in a special pool and let you know you're listed.

So how long should this giveaway run?  How about til next Hexie Weekend - that's March 7th. So the giveaways will close on March 6th at midnight.  I'll pick the winners and announce them the 7th.  Thanks for playing.  I'm so glad you have come by and said hello!

So here are the giveaways - hope there's something you'd like to come your way:
1.
Eleven 1/4 yards x WOF - would make a great Christmas quilt that has embroidery blocks

Two luscious charm packs from Moda

Two fat quarter friendly patterns and two spools of thread
a varigated C&C for Machine quilting and a Robison Anton for piecing

Three Half yards of fabric

Every crumb block maker should read this book. A
very thorough and interesting take on scraps.

Hexie Weekend and a Finish!

Before I show you my hexies, here's the lap quilt I made using Jenny Doan's Self Binding Receiving Blanket tutorial.  Go here to read about it.  This one is going to a local Breast Cancer Center. I was wondering if it would work as a rectangle - Jenny made a square one - and yes, it does work as long as you mark those centers. It measures around 38 by 46.  I'll be making more like this one.
I only had about a 5" square of waste using this method.

Here's the back.
It took me about 20 minutes to make not counting washing the flannel so that it would shrink.

Now for Hexies.  I took out that piece Deanna gave me and decided to sew it to the background.
I cut a wide border for around this 20" by 19" group of hexies.

This photo is more true to the colors of the pieces.

I decided to machine applique it to the background using a tiny zig zag
stitch, a 60/8 sharp needle with pale green Invisifil thread and Bottom Line in the bobbin.
So that's it - a finish and progress on one of my hexies.  What have you been working on?  Linky below (this week ends 3/6, Thursday, near midnight). Remember it doesn't have to be hexies. Billie and I like all sorts of projects.  And this week by linking, you're automatically entered in my blog anniversary giveaway.  That post coming up next.
I'm linking to Amanda Jean's Finish it Up Friday, Richard's Link a Finish and TGIFF. Lots of creativity there.

Applique Tuesday

Well, I should have been doing applique!  I got as far as printing the pattern for Block 2 of the Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt and a bit more bias stems made for LE - not much!  Instead I spent my little quilty time trying out a Jenny Doan tutorial on a self binding recieving blanket.  I'm thinking if I can master it (and like Jenny said: it only takes about 10 minutes), and figure out how to add batting, St. Anne's would have more quilts faster for our clients.  I tried a smaller one and the mitered corners didn't come out too well. I can't figure out what I did wrong - probably in the cutting or maybe I didn't fold it right. ?? However I managed to salvage something from my test run.
 One corner worked.  The others had some fullness. So I wound up folding that fullness under and sewing the miters down.
 It's good enough for me to use as a napkin.


Or maybe as a placemat?  I seem to remember seeing a post by someone that used this method to add binding to a quilt.  If you know of one, please let me know.

Okay, not applique, so I'd love you to leave me a comment on yours so I can go to your blog and sigh over it. Look forward to hearing from you!
Friday Feb 28th - Giveaways, too!
I'm linking to Connie's Linky Tuesday, Esther's Wow, and Lorna's Let's Be Social. 

Design Wall Monday

Here's the mystery quilt from that retreat a couple of weekends ago.  I'm putting the rows together now.

It will be 38" square and I'll be giving it to St. Anne's Sewdality as my finished quilt for the month. Have to keep busy with it.  What's on your design wall?  I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times and Lyn's BOMs Away again.

Oh and don't forget to come back this Friday, the 28th, for my 5th Blogging Anniversary and giveaways.

Stash Report and an Announcement

For that quilt retreat I went to, I used 4 yards of fabric from my stash.  Yeah!  You'll find my numbers on the side bar. I did buy 2 yards from the The Thrifty Corner at my guild's meeting, but since it was for stash enhancement, I'm not counting it as frivolous expenditures - can I reason myself out of adding to my numbers or what? - LOL.

And now for my Annoucement.  Friday the 28th, I'll have been blogging for 5 years. I can't believe it!
Of Blogging!

I've learned a lot about blogging, made mistakes, and encountered a lot of wonderful people in Blogland. So I think the occasion deserves a party and a giveaway - maybe 5 giveaways to mark the years.  Come back the last day of the month to help me celebrate.  See you then!

In the meantime, I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times for other reports on Stash Status.

Hexie Weekend

Here's as far as I've gotten with Step 4 after a day of family funeral (a 96 year-old Uncle), a board meeting, and DGS #1 to interact with:
Just the inner border added.  Come back later Friday and I'll have posted more progress.  Linky below.  Remember we like to see all sorts of eye candy even though Hexies are one of our loves.


Friday Afternoon = Once I got Will off to school and a bit of picking up done, I went into the sewing room and worked on Soupçon.

Part 4 is finished!  Again, I deviated from the QAL.  I could not find a background from which to make the pieced border that was called for.  Karen keeps telling us to make it our own, so that's what's happening with mine.  Do go visit her website and see the glorious versions others have made. I'm linking to Amanda Jean's Finish it Up Friday, Lyn's BOMs Away and Richard's Link a Finish and TGIFF

Still coming down from Retreat High.

This last three day weekend I went to my first Quilting Retreat.  I'm still on a high from it.  It was so much fun, and actually though I got a lot done - tiring.  I'm such a wimp - while the others partied hardy (there were 24 of us), Friday I went to bed at 10 PM - some stayed up til 2 AM!  The next day I was sewing by 7:30 AM and we kept having fun, til I gave it up at 10:30 PM - late for me, and I was going to get up at 5:30 to go to mass with my husband - the hotel is just three miles from the church.  Others went to bed early, too - 1 AM - lol.  The co-ordinators did a fabulous job - we had lots of make and take.  Here are some:
We made a tea cup pin cushion, a felted needle case, a iron carrier that also is an ironing surface, a snap bag and another bag I used as my thread catcher for the weekend , but you could use it for any thing - even my cell phonel
You can bet I will be signing up for the next one!  I'm linking to Esther's Wow, Connie's Linky Tuesday, and Lenore's Let's Be Social.  What have you been up to?


And the winner is...

Grow Your Blog Party - 2014Hello, I've been at our guild retreat all weekend, and am now just able to get Random.org to pick a winner for my Grow Your Blog giveaway. This was such a fun blog hop.  I got to meet so many bloggers from around the world. It has been a pleasure to get to know them and see what they are up to.  Welcome to my blog, again. I look foward to learning more about you in the year ahead.  I am so in awe of all the talent out there.

So why am I late picking a winner - well it was this retreat I went to. My first and was it fabulous!  They had so many treats for us. It started at 3 PM Friday, but some of us had been there since 10 AM working on UFOs and WIPS ahead of time. To get us better acquainted with the other 23 quilters, we had a progressive dinner Friday night, then we went to the big room and started our first clue of our mystery quilt. Around 10 PM we had our first make and take - a darling bag that we could make in a mere 20 minutes. So useful and cute.  The weekend was just great. Here's a photo of one of the many varieties of the mystery quilt (a Debbie Caffrey patter)  - made various by our choices of fabric.

Mary(she's behind the quilt - lol) was making the larger version - all this lacks is the outer border! She was assembling the top using Elinor Burnes method of sewing rows and then adding the next row without separating the rows from their chain piecing - so saves time and misplacing blocks.

And now the winner - Random picked Beth P of Mossberry Cottage in NH.  Beth said:
"Oh dear, I think we are most certainly kindred spirits Angie! I love many crafts as you know from visiting my blog but applique is one of my favorite quilting techniques... and The Fat Quarter Shop, well, one need not say more! :D I am certainly not going to lose you now that I have found you through Vicki's party! :D I'm your newest follower!  Hugs, Beth P"  I've sent an email.  Congrats Beth!

Thank you to all who came by and commented during the blog hop, or became followers.  I haven't been able to reply, but I'm saving the comments and will come visit you soon.  And thank you, Vicki,  for a wonderful blogging event.  I did grow my blog!

Hexie Weekend

I'll be at our guild's first retreat, and it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun and much sewing. It's going from 10 AM Friday thru 5 PM Sunday, so I'm posting early for  this week's hexie linky party post.

I finished my part 3 of the Soupçon Quilt Along. I can't believe I'm caught up!  Wish it was so on the other BOMs.

The first fabric I pulled out of the stash felt right for my hexie center. It's a Barbara Brackman fabric by Moda called Floral Trails.  It is so soft.  I just love the feel of it.  Wonder what Karen H at Soupçon QAL has in store for us next.  How are you doing on your project - hexie or otherwise?  All are welcome to post their eye candy. Linky below, ends Monday, midnight (yes, I like long weekends, lol).

Oh, and as a reminder to myself to do some hexies by Friday, I've made a button. It's on the right sidebar with the code if you'd like a reminder, too. Have a blessed weekend.
A Quilting Reader's Garden

I'm linking up with Amanda Jean's Finish it up Friday, Richard's Link a Finish Friday, and TGIF It's Finished Friday.

Applique Tuesday

I've been working on Part 3 of Soupçon.  Here's as far as I've gotten:
The hardest part is selecting the fabric to use. Karen has some fabulous ideas in this Hexagon Quilt Along and I'm learning a lot. Will have to look for the next fabric for the background - some of the blue will be cut off.

And some progress (not much, but some) on my Love Entwined, I'm happy to report.


Those 1/8th inch bias stems are a bit time consuming, and I have a few more to do before I can start to assemble flowers. Luckily, I bought Pearl Peiera's DVD that shows me how to do it.  Pretty nifty trick and lots of other tips.

That's it for my applique report for Tuesday.  How are you doing on your projects? Leave me a comment and I'll come see yours and do the same - leave you a comment that is.  I'm linking to Connie's Linky Tuesday, Esther's WoW, and Lorna's Let's Bee Social.  Go on by and say hello.

Stash Report


Here for the Grow Your Blog party and Giveaway that ends Feb 15th? Please go here.   Welcome!

As to the report, it's simple today - Nothing in, nothing out.  Numbers on the sidebar. But that doesn't mean I wasn't sewing. I'm been working on a rag quilt for St. Anne's.  I can count all the flannel I worked with because it came from the groups stash, not mine - LOL. I took all the odd squares we had in the various bags and combined them to make enough blocks in order to piece it.  Comes out about 37" square.  It took me best part of a week because of all the other stuff life was throwing at me.  And the group meets this coming Thursday, so I had to fit it in to any free moments I had.  I just finished it .
Here's the back - I used red thread to quilt the squares and edge it.

The front is more hodge-podge than the back but I tried to group them.
Now it will be clipped by another member and washed and it will be ready to gift.  Now back to my LE - that too I couldn't count yardage as it's been counted before. That's for Tuesday's post. I'm linking to Judy's Stash Report at Patchwork Times and Lyn's Boms Away. Thanks for stopping by!



Back to Hexie Weekend

Here for the Grow Your Blog party and Giveaway that ends Feb 15th? Please go here.   Welcome!

Was able to get back to my hexie flowers.  I finished the one with the Liberty fabric and that completed a set of three.

That makes 12 flowers made!  Have a ways to go, but I'm enjoying the process. Won't you share your hexie project with Billie and I?  Doesn't have to be a work in progress.  Could be one you finished a while ago or plan to start as soon as the time's right. Linky below. Closes Monday, midnight. 

I also finished my heart quilt top.  I made this for our Guild's challenge to make a featuring hearts.  I chose to make mine be a Veterans quilt. It measures the required 36" by 45" to make it a lap quilt or for a wheelchair.
I think you can see why I call it Purple Hearts Surround.

I'm linking to Amanda Jean's Finish it Up Friday and Richard & Tanya's Link a Finish Friday

Wow, an Applique Tuesday

Here for the Grow Your Blog party and Giveaway that ends Feb 15th? Please go here.   Welcome!

I've been trying the starch and freezer paper method - it takes some getting use to.  You have to work with both hands - left for stiletto and right for the iron - it was hard at first, but I seem to be getting the hang of it.

Was trying it with the Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt block #1.  Phew it's all glue basted now.  I just have to machine stitch it.  I'll trim it to a 16 1/2" square once that's done.  Here it is:
I'm not happy with the upper right bud and it's position.  Do you advanced appliquers know if you can move  pieces once they are glue basted with Roxanne's Glue baste?  Please advise.

I'm linking to Connie's Linky Tuesday and Esther's WoW.  Go see the eye candy there.

Coming off the Design Wall

Here for the Grow Your Blog party and Giveaway? Please go here.   Welcome!

First the Stash Report.  Nothing in.  2.16 yards out for a QoV quilt.  Otherwise, just working with stuff I've already counted. Numbers are 0n the right sidebar.

Coming off the Design is the first QOV we made over the weekend participating in the QOV Foundation's National Service Day:
 Measures 62 by 69 and made by Deanna, Fern, and me (right to left).  Deanna did the machine embroidery and Fern figured out a design where we could lay it out with one red missing. Then we all sewed it together. It took us just a little over 3 hours to do so.
Here's  a close up so you can see the machine embroidery that is washed out in the first photo.
There were 29 of us Saturday, and we got 15 tops started.  We finished about six in the time we had, but are very close to finishing the others.  There were prizes offered by the QOV Foundation.  Our guild and two members won!

The other quilt top with my 2.16 yards is now being assembled in rows and will be ready by our next guild meeting to show.  Guess what pattern I used and I'll send you a book/pattern. Just leave a comment saying what kind you like to make (piecing, applique, baby, motifs, etc - and I'll see what I can send. 

I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times and Lyn's BOMs Away - go there for eye candy.

SAHRR Round 5 and 6

  Ready to show rounds 5 and 6. Actually, the prompt for 5 was make 4 of something. So I chose four patch, and actually since that made my q...